Neville Wisdom Sprints Into Spring

It was mid-February 2016, over a foamy beer with Neville Wisdom at BAR New Haven, when mActivity’s owner, Pablo Perez, made an offhand comment: Wisdom should consider having his spring fashion show at the new East Rock gym.

Wisdom said he’d think about it. Perez and his wife, who supported the idea, thought he wasn’t completely serious. But Wisdom followed up the next day by showing up in the gym.

The fashion designer and Westville enthusiast was impressed with the space. They should go for it, Wisdom said to Perez and mActivity co-owner Burch Valldejuli. What could be better for the show than a new venue that supported New Haveners as they strove to feel better, stay in shape, and push positive body image?

That gym-meets-couture collaboration came to fruition Saturday night, when Wisdom debuted his flowy, bright, and pattern-rich spring line at the Nicoll Street gym. Amid loud whoops, hollers, claps, and a standing ovation, Wisdom said it had turned out to be the exact kind of community-focused affair that he had in mind.

“I love to go out in the community and meet people on a day-to-day basis,” he said after the runway portion of the show. ​“Pablo’s wife talked about getting some stuff over here … continue that community flow, try something a little bit different. We talked, and we all decided that this should be the space. Every year, I get to express a different side of me that I haven’t had the time to express because of other responsibilities, and it’s an evolving cycle of finding who I am totally.”

“This line was a little bit more fun, definitely a good time,” he added of the clothes, which were presented with 1980s-esque hairstyles. ​“We just wanted to rock it out a little bit. We work really hard in trying to make every woman look beautiful. That’s who we are. There is no stereotype for that perfect woman … we worked to make sure that they look amazing and feel amazing when they leave this space with a dress.”

Around him, several members of the New Haven community helped make that hope a reality. Artist Kwadwo Adae provided a pre-show drawing demo that had attendees oohing and aaahing as they mingled …

… Perez and Valldejuli had a chance to introduce the gym as a community-oriented space …

… several models surprised and delighted with new looks, many of which Wisdom said were inspired by the space itself, and the need for women to be comfortable in their clothes …

… and members of the audience, kept on the brink or surprise before the show, contemplated which designs they might bring home with them.

“It’s been very exciting,” said Perez after the show. ​“This is the type of stuff that we envisioned doing when we opened the gym, because we wanted to be different … more of a community gym, more of an events gym. It’s a new hot spot.”

“Neville is amazing,” he added. ​“We got an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the ride. And I’m really happy, so happy for him.”